Post #292196 by Tamapoutini on Thu, Mar 15, 2007 5:31 PM

On 2007-03-15 02:23, Dragonaotearoa wrote:
Kia Ora Koutou
Just curious but though your carvings are damn good they dont really look like Maori tekoteko, definately polynesian however.

TamaTheTerrible sez: Kia ora Dragon. Fancy bumping into a fellow Kiwi here. I see you are on the other side of the hill from me; I bet you've felt the start of winter in the past few days!?

I would like to defend my (G)man here, not that I think you meant any real offence...

I think you'll find that there are two main genres you will find around TC & this relates to all of the cultures represented. There is a lot of info/art that is dedicated to strict Tradition and then there is the non-trad which can be anything from a simple embellishment, to personal style, contemporary interpretation, to the outright lampooning of... whatever. Most tiki-types around here are pretty well informed on the traditional cultures they love but are also influenced in large degrees by the USs' own tiki counter-culture of the 30s-40s (correct me on my dates you lot!). An understanding of this 'Kulture' is almost a prerequisite for TC participation.

I believe that Gman knows exactly where his work lies in the scheme of things & offer him all encouragement. I personally find it flattering that tau-iwi find such interest in lil ol NZ and believe that no offence is intended with any of their work. In truth, some of the tackiest, nastiest Maori knock-offs you will ever find, have/do come straight out of Aotearoa :lol:

*Nice shirts by the way; very contemporary!

Ka kite
Tama :)